1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to spring clips, and particularly to a spring clip that is removably mountable to, for example, garments, for holding items such as a badge or other identifying indicia. More specifically, this invention relates to a clip that can be repeatedly used and is initially activated by the user to provide spring tension between the jaws of the clip to securely hold, for example, the user's pocket.
2. Description of the Related Art
Spring clips are well known in the art. Such clips are used for holding items such as badges, memos, documents, clothing, and anything else that will fit between the jaws of the clip.
There are many problems associated with the use of badge clips. Many millions of identification badges are worn yearly. The badges are usually intended to be disposable and the wearer may have physical disabilities which make the badge and badge clip difficult to attach to the garment. Prior clip devices have damaged garments, or been assembled from a plurality of parts making them expensive to manufacture. Many badge clips are also complicated, requiring detailed instructions for use. Such instructions are generally impractical for a user to understand the clip operation at, for example, the registration counter of a convention. Thus, the clip is used improperly and therefore, ineffectively, or not at all.
It is thus desirable that a badge clip be capable of being easily manipulated by the user with one hand, easily mountable to the users pocket, lapel or the like, nondamaging to the garment to which it is applied and capable of retaining the identification item or article reliably on the garment so that it does not fall off.
The following patents describe some of the known spring and badge clips:
U.S. Pat. Nos. PA1 2,641,811 to Morgan PA1 3,604,425 to Le Roy PA1 3,616,497 to Esposito Jr. PA1 3,629,912 to Klopp PA1 4,043,858 to Dantowitz PA1 4,071,930 to Tanaka PA1 4,228,569 to Snyder PA1 4,277,863 to Faneuf PA1 4,227,864 to Orson, Sr. PA1 4,395,799 to Batts PA1 4,763,390 to Rooz PA1 4,835,824 to Durham et al. PA1 4,839,947 to Cohen et al. PA1 5,022,126 to Davis PA1 5,159,730 to Radvin PA1 5,179,768 to Jio PA1 5,285,556 to Shorin et al. PA1 5,305,500 to Tucker PA1 5,313,721 to Filden PA1 5,361,463 to Revis PA1 5,384,935 to Maier-Hunke et al. PA1 Des. 314,015 to Hickman, Sr. PA1 Des. 398,487 to Franco
Additional patents relating to spring or badge clips are Swiss Patent No. 398,487 and U.K. Patent No. 796,846.
Among the aforementioned art, the following are of particular interest:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,616,497 to Esposito, Jr. discloses an integral clamping instrument, molded of elastomeric material, for medical/surgical applications. The instrument includes a rigid bar acting as a fulcrum between a pair of arms the ends of which have jaw portions. The other ends of the arms are hingedly connected to opposite ends of a spreader which has two hinged sections adapted to provide a snap-action gripping of the jaws.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,629,912 to Klopp discloses a plastic clamp with a releasable locking lever between the arms. The arms are retained in the clamping position by the coaction between a rod-like member and a socket which are dimensioned and positioned for locking registry with each other.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,228,569 to Snyder discloses a two piece clip made of metal. The clip comprises a rigid base member having upward arms embracing a Z-shaped spring member. A fulcrum is provided where the arms meet the outer run of the spring member. Jaws are provided on the adjacent ends of the base member and spring member.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,277,863 to Faneuf discloses a clip molded of one unitary body of plastic. The clip is constructed to engage an ID card through an aperture therein. The clip has two elongate stiff parallel members joined at their middle by a flexible web forming a hinge. On one side of the hinge the members form opposed jaws and at the other side of the hinge one member forms a spring biased toward the other member to urge the jaws closed. The spring forms a loop capable of engaging through an aperture in an ID card. The loop is offset from the hinged members to allow the card to hang parallel alongside the hinged members.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,277,864 to Orson, Sr. discloses a spring operated clip with lever arms connected at one end with a spring portion which urges jaws into a mutual clamping engagement. The clip includes a fulcrum, consisting of a locking lug and detent. The jaws are urged open by squeezing together the outer end portions of the lever arms which pivot about the fulcrum to compress the spring. A post or stud having an enlarged head portion is provided on the outer surface of at least one arm to fasten an identity badge to such arm.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,395,799 to Batts discloses a spring biased plastic clamp for a garment hanger having a pair of leg portions joined at their ends by a bar between which a spring is disposed to bias the jaws into the clamping position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,839,947 to Cohen et al. discloses a clamp mechanism for garments consisting of a unitary piece of resilient material. The clamp consists of a pair of arms and a hinged means disposed therebetween which consists of a cylindrical bearing element and a mating circular cylindrical axle element about which the arms are rotated. The distal ends of each arm portion opposite the jaws are joined to form a bias means between the arms that exerts outwardly directed forces against the arms so that the jaws will grip an item therebetween. The bias means is provided with spacers to confine the flex of the bias means to the central portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,126 to Davis discloses a one-piece plastic surgical towel clamp having arms with locking means disposed therebetween, each of which has inner surfaces with teeth to engage each other.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,159,730 to Radvin discloses a clip having two opposing members and an arcuate portion joining the two opposing members at their ends. Each of the opposing members have opposed jaw portions at the end portions opposite the arcuate portion. Locking arms are provided intermediate the opposite end portions of the opposing members for locking the opposing members together. The clip also includes projections on each of the opposing members for urging the arms into engagement and disengagement.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,179,768 to Jio discloses a clothes pin made of plastic as one unit. The clothes pin consists of two opposite pin plates and two elastic plates extending from the bottom ends of the two plates, respectively, and bending inward. One of the elastic plates has a stopper and two projections protruding upward and downward near the stopper which engages the other plastic plate to spread the pin plates so that the jaws open. An elastic bridge between the pin plates gives elasticity to the pin plates to recover elasticity to permit the jaws to pinch the clothes therebetween.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,463 to Revis discloses a one piece spring clip consisting of lower and upper face beams joined together by a transverse support member. The lower face beam has a latching hook and the upper face beam has a latching body to receive the hook. Squeezing together of the opposing beams interconnects the hook-tip and the latch receptacle to stress the pivot bar therebetween for the opening and closing of the jaw of the clip.
None of the aforementioned references discloses the spring mechanism of the present invention nor do these references disclose the particular relationship and coaction between the spring mechanism and the body structure of the clip of this invention. In particular, none of the references disclose a clip that can be repeatedly used and is initially activated by the user to provide spring tension between the jaws of the clip to securely hold, for example, the user's pocket. None of the patents disclose a clip device with these elements in combination with a support or mounting member to which a badge or other identifying indicia removably mounted.